Air National Guard’s 109th Airlift Wing needed cohesive branding to represent their unique mission, with the hope of using their branding efforts to help build camaraderie and increase recruitment. The 109th Airlift Wing flies the world’s only ski-equipped LC-130s, using them for missions to deliver materials to icy areas such as Antarctica to Greenland. These specially equipped airplanes inspired the “Skibirds” name and logo.
Various mascots and names were explored before landing on the name “Skibirds” and the representative Raven (a common sight around the Greenland Air Base). Other potential mascots included the Goose which is known for its long-distance migration paths that reflected the “north pole to south pole” flight path of the Airlift wing.